Thread by @holliejsaunders

My word, as time goes on and I see more women of my generation despising older women and their feminism the more appalled I get. This movement is still *new*. Rape Crisis centres set up in the 70s through consciousness raising groups. Likewise with women’s refuges. >

The woman’s movement started with those women. Women who teach me at uni, women I work with, women I march with, women at book launches, women who have spent their whole life fighting for every aspect of what it means to be a woman, be it our healthcare, safety, economic status.

I have learnt so much from these women. I have just spent a 3 day conference for Rape Crisis England and Wales with these women. These women give a shit. These women are working in the shadows every day to ensure the safety of women and girls. We could all learn a lot from them.

Older women are the reason we have knowledge and resources for safety that we young women consider a given. We could all do with listening rather than slating. Society has typically always resented older women and it absolutely stinks.

(Older women given I am 28 and there is a generation gap, no more than that!!) These women are precious and I feel safe with them.

If you don’t believe me, come & work in our movement. Come and see the value of these women for yourself. See their kindness, their value and experience their kindness. When shit hits the fan, it’ll be those women who pick you up. Those women remind you of why you’re here.

Listen to their stories of activism when they were our age. Listen to how brave they were then. Understand why so many start in this movement and don’t leave. It was founded in love and care for women, and that fundamentally is all it still is. Women caring for other women.

We are all still learning. These women value us &they listen. They do not believe they are above us. We are equals and it always goes both ways. None of us are perfect, sometimes we get it wrong. But ultimately we engage constructively w/o writing each-other off. That’s feminism.

(This is equally all that being said, not me speaking ill of younger feminists). This is me inviting you in. Come and speak with these women. The vast majority of what you read and hear is categorically untrue. Posting on twitter with what you think is true does harm to all.